Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Castelo Branco

For one person, living is cheaper in Castelo Branco: $1,100 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Castelo Branco
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Castelo Branco Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Castelo Branco

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,100

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Castelo Branco

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Castelo Branco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,100 in Castelo Branco, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Castelo Branco $1,100

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,666 in Castelo Branco, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Castelo Branco $1,666

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,233 in Castelo Branco, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Castelo Branco $2,233

Budapest costs about 47% more than Castelo Branco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Castelo Branco is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$11.29 €10.05

23.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$39.12 €34.80

56.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$9.62 €8.56

5.93%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.25 €1.11

160.80%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.41 €1.25

51.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.26 €1.12

41.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.09 €0.97

240.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.20 €1.96

71.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.17 €1.04

-1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.30 €1.16

37.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.45 €1.29

71.72%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.87 €3.44

0.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$8.76 €7.79

26.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.80 €5.16

14.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.58 €7.63

71.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.11 €1.88

-13.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.31 €1.17

56.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.75 €1.56

35.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.30 €2.05

69.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.65 €1.47

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.45 €1.29

-31.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.14 €1.02

38.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.81 €0.72

-17.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.97 €5.31

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$3.39 €3.01

83.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.17 €1.04

8.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.95 €1.73

4.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.25 €1.11

21.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$22.20 €19.75

26.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.25 €2.00

47.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.74 €0.66

85.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$16.67 €14.83

18.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.04 €1.82

-10.78%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$33.5K €29.8K

-11.07%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$40.5K €36.0K

-16.47%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$171 Ft 55.3K

$120 €106

43.02%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$19.03 €16.92

23.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$31.99 €28.45

-27.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$39.32 €34.97

71.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.70 €5.96

38.81%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$533 Ft 172.3K

$678 €603

-21.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.9K €15.1K

-1.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$78.7 €70.0

26.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$44.71 €39.77

-2.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$82.1 €73.0

34.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$67.6 €60.2

75.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$458 €407

81.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$363 €323

71.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$796 €708

100.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$605 €538

93.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,574 €1,400

270.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,322 €1,176

194.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,617 €1,438

2.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.85

67.53%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Castelo Branco: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Castelo Branco

$363 33% 41.6% $259

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Castelo Branco

$203 18.4% 21.4% $55

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Castelo Branco

$155 14.1% 30.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Castelo Branco

$171 15.5% 21.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Castelo Branco

$123 11.2% 26.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Castelo Branco

$53 4.8% 38.8% $33

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Castelo Branco

$33 3% 25% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $458 in Castelo Branco. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $39.00 in Castelo Branco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $203 – making Castelo Branco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇹 Castelo Branco

🕒 Local time

15:54 3:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

52,291

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Castelo Branco 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Castelo Branco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,650 in Castelo Branco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Castelo Branco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Castelo Branco. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $678 in Castelo Branco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Castelo Branco, where all-in costs run around $1,100, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Castelo Branco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Castelo Branco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Castelo Branco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.